William Andersen's Home Page

  • Education: Ph.D. in experimental nuclear physics, MIT, 1985; B.S. in physics, Baylor, 1977.
  • Research Interests: anomalous apsidal motion of eclipsing binary stars and numerous other manifestations of gravitational physics; lattice gauge field theory
  • Teaching Specialties: physics of music; general relativity.

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    Some Recent Publications and Presentations:

  • "Noncalculus Treatment of Steady-State Rolling of a Thin Disk on a Horizontal Surface." W. L. Andersen, The Physics Teacher, 45, 430.
  • "The stability of triple star ystems with highly inclined orbits." S. A. Khodykin, A. I. Zakharov, and W. L. Andersen, Astrophysical Journal, 615:506-511 (2004).
  • "Search of the third components in eclipsing binary systems." S. A. Khodykin (presenter), Volgograd State Pedagogical University and W. L. Andersen, ENMU, Abstracts of Reports All-Russian Astronomical Conference in Saint Petersburg, Saint Petersburg State University, pp. 185-186 August (2001).
  • "The stability of triple star ystems with highly inclined orbits." S. A. Khodykin, A. I. Zakharov, and W. L. Andersen (presenter), 16th Annual New Mexico Symposium, Socorro, NM (2001).
  • "A Simple and Direct Measure of Photometric Uncertainties." W. L. Andersen, Sayako Smith, and Debra Gillen, I.A.P.P.P Communications 81, 16, September (2000).
  • "Lattice Charge Overlap I. Elastic Limit of Pi and Rho Mesons." William Andersen and Walter Wilcox, Annals of Physics 255, 34-59 (1997).
  • "Structure Functions, Form Factors, and Lattice QCD." Walter Wilcox and W.L. Andersen (presenter), 11th International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory, Dallas, Texas (1993). Published in Nuclear Physics B (Proc. Suppl.) 34 (1994) 393-395.

    • Unpublished work:

  • Here is a paper using a spacetime diagram to answer the question how gravitational wave inteferometric detectors can detect gravitational waves given that both the wavelength and inteferometer arm would be stretched by the same fraction: Gravitational Detection Paradox.
  • Here is treatment of the inverse square law orbit using mainly geometry. It is based on the Fano/Feynman hodograph approach as explained in "Feynman's Lost Lecture" by Goodstein. I have endeavered to make the results more complete and useful by including energy conservation and a derivation of Kepler's equation: Keplerian orbit via geometry.
  • Here is a very brief overview of the empirical foundations of matrix mechanics. It is based on the anthology "Sources of Quantum Mechanics" by D.L. van der Waerden: Quantum Mechanics via Dispersion.

    An animation:

  • Here is an animation of 100,000 years of the binary system DI Her motion assuming only general relativity (ignoring structure effects) and the perturbations due to a third stellar mass body. The inner ellipse represents the orbit of the binary while the outer ellipse represents the orbit of the third body. The size of the third body orbit has been reduced by a factor of ten in order to make both orbits easily visible.
    Click for animation.
    William L. Andersen
    Department of Physical Sciences
    Eastern New Mexico University
    Portales, NM 88130

    Comments to: William.Andersen@enmu.edu
    Last modified: 08 May 2005

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